A storm from eastern France crossed into southwestern Germany on Tuesday night, damaging 30 houses in Saarland and causing casualties in Baden-Württemberg.

Storm crosses Saarland and Baden-Württemberg

On the night of July 11, residents and holidaymakers in Germany’s most southwestern states, Saarland and Baden-Württemberg, were confronted with a storm arriving from eastern France.

Consistent thunder and lightning were followed by heavy rain and high-speed winds, which eventually led to around 30 houses being damaged and two having their roofs entirely blown off, exposing top-floor rooms to the elements. Authorities in Saarland have said that this damage could have been caused by a small tornado, though this has not been confirmed.

“Luckily, no people were injured during the severe weather which occurred in Asweiler in the early evening. The pattern of damage had led to fears of a worse outcome,” SPD minister Reinhold Jost told ntv. 

The events come less than a week after Storm Poly caused two fatalities and 50 to 100 million euros of damage in the Netherlands before crossing into Germany. Extreme weather and summer thunderstorms are becoming more common across northern Europe, partly due to increasingly consistent hot weather caused by climate change, which clashes with cold air and destabilises the atmosphere, creating the perfect conditions for a storm.

Storm caused traffic accidents around Lake Constance

Though there were no fatalities, the storm did cause traffic accidents in the region around Lake Constance, where authorities had issued an extreme weather warning at around 11 pm. Severe thunderstorms were also recorded across the lake in Switzerland, with over 70.000 lightning bolts striking the country overnight.

Three towns just north of the lake, Sigmaringen and Revensburg and Reutlingen, which lies just outside of Stuttgart, were particularly affected. Police told ntv that the situation quickly became unmanageable because the emergency services were receiving constant calls.

The German Weather Services (DWD) have now issued a severe weather warning for the whole of Baden-Württemberg. On the night of July 12, the storm is expected to cross over into Bavaria and Munich, bringing gale-force and hurricane-force winds as well as hailstones of two centimetres in diameter.

Residents have been advised to close windows and doors, gather belongings from outside areas and stay clear of trees, scaffolding and telephone poles.

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